Diane Keaton, Steve Martin, Robert De Niro and more explain what makes the NMCU tick.
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Part I: The Meet-Cutes
On first impressions of Nancy Meyers, the director.
I found out later that was her way of saying Id gotten the part.
But then theyre also so successful and totally business-oriented.
Its sort of like, Oh, yeah.
I feel like youre my mom, but yet I know youre not my mom.
Cameron Diaz (Amanda Woods inThe Holiday):You know when somebody just feels so self-possessed?
She just knows who she is.
Im trying to think of one word that could sum it up.
Three-foot-11, four-foot-two, somewhere in that area.
You get the impression of someone whos very sharp and hip.
Its so annoying for me, not [being] in that league at all.
She was the person who developed all their scripts.
Which is preposterous, right?
It was a three-day weekend, and they assigned Nancy to sit with us at Universal.
It was like a ghost town: the guard and me, and Nancy, and my partner.
And we actually did it.
And Nancy became our third partner.
I realized at that time how smart she was and how great she was as a collaborator.
And also we started to fall for each other.
She was so cute and so smart.
She was the full package.
And the script, [Nancy and Charles] had not written it.
It was a previously written draft.
But they have such confidence in their vision that you just go, Sure.
What difference did it make in this case?
And I realized how right she was.
Rene Russo (Fiona inThe Intern):I really dont love working.
My first thing was, What the fuck, you want me to read for [a part]?
Can you just read this with me?
Because I really dont want to come back.
Not because of her.
Its just that, working for me is like, Oh God, I cant work again.
So she went, You want me to read it right now?
I said, Yeah, just read it with me.
She called in her assistant and we read it together.
This is how incredibly thorough she is.
I actually said to my agent, Hold on, she wants me to read for this part?
She mustve seen me in other movies!
Then when I went in there and talked to her, shes great.
Shes an easy laugh.
So we read and it was fun in the room.
Because Im a reluctant actor a little bit, I think she was like, Who is this crackpot?
Im a German, how much comedy language do we have?
And then she got very stuck one day.
The phone rings, and [Nancy] is already on her way.
The tune is half finished, but they come in, so I have to play it.
I hate playing in front of people.
I stop and I look at her and shes crying.
Im going,Thats not good.
She goes, Thats not at all what I imagined for my movie.
Im going,Thats double not good.And then she goes, Its really beautiful.
Andrew Rannells (Cameron inThe Intern):I was very nervous to meet Nancy.
I figured getting cast was a long shot.
But at my first callback, she was so welcoming.
She also smelled really good.
I hope thats not a creepy thing to say.
Anders Holm (Matt inThe Intern):I technically met Nancy over a Zoom audition.
Adam DeVine (Jason inThe Intern):She didnt know that when she cast us.
Shes like, What?
I remember her being like, Ive got to watch your show.
I think you guys are so cute and funny.
I have to tune in.
I remember just thinking, like,Oh, kindly, God, dont watchWorkaholics.
Baldwin:Nancy likes to do a lot of takes.
And by that, I mean a LOT of takes.
Im told the only person who does more takes than Nancy is Warren Beatty.
Diaz:Nancy likes to do a lot of takes.
Shes kind of known for that.
Thats all day long.
Her coming over and being, I like that.
Just a little bit more like this, and let me see it again.
So do it exactly that way again.
Keaton:Oh, yeah.
Thats what I say: Give me more.
Russo:Shes got a bullshit meter.
Go with your gut.
A If you dont feel you have it, dont feel pressured to move on kind of approach.
I loved that because Id still be shootingThree Amigosif [John Landis] let me.
Martin:Theres the feeling of perfectionism.
But he was like, Yes, maam.
But she has a way of making what she does pay off.
Shes a stickler for her stuff, and sometimes I thought it was okay.
Its up to her to make that final decision.
Ill do the 55 takes with her.
Hendrix:I remember her using a bullhorn a lot to give directions.
I think Nancy has supreme confidence.
I think shes aware of her mastery, and she doesnt apologize for it.
Shes at the top for a reason, and she didnt get there by apologizing for it.
She didnt get there by shrinking who she is.
It was really funny.
Because shes very particular.
Im sure she loved him, and hes great in the movie, but thats how it can feel.
She can take on a lot.
I went to go visit her in New York her first week of makingThe Intern.
I drove with her on her first day to set, and I just remember she was so calm.
I was just like, Why arent you more nervous?
Why dont you have, like, first-day-of-school feelings?
It was like driving with Willie Mays to the first day of practice.
Since that moment, she said, she asks for what she wants, even if it seems impossible.
Martin:She takes very detailed care of her actors when it comes to costumes.
We made jokes onFather of the Bride 3ish.
My daughter, who was 7, said, How long did you try on sweatshirts for?
I said, An hour.
The costume sessions forFather of the Bridewere lengthy.
Itd be a day.
Jeans on, jeans off.
What about those jeans?
What about these jeans?
What about that T-shirt with these jeans?
And you know what?
I appreciate that, because I kind of dress like Father of the Bridenow.
Its kind of my look.
Learned that from her.
And she and I were on FaceTime.
I had my closet open, and I was trying on this, trying on that.
I dont want to brag, but I got to play dress-up with Nancy Meyers in my closet.
It was one of the most psychotic things I feel like Ive ever done.
De Niro:Shes very particular.
Well put on stuff; well try the shirt, thethis.
You could feel that thats tedious.
I think its necessary.
Shes like that with everything!
Including my hair and makeup.
No, it shouldnt be so much.
It should be this.
I dont want anything.
Take off the lashes.
I dont have lashes, Nancy.
Well, it looks like you have lashes.
I had never experienced that before.
But you know, it was nothing that was annoying.
It was like, you got why her films look the way they do.
Her eyes go around like a scan; she doesnt miss anything.
Holm:I know how particular she can be about things looking good.
Nancy wasnt super thrilled about that.
It paid off, because I looked great.
And because of Nancy now, I just glue beard hair on myself all the time.
Maybe she dresses a little like Diane, but Diane is so eccentric in the way she dresses.
I think in real life, Diane does not dress like Nancy.
In the movies, its based on Nancy a bit, yeah.
Meyers-Shyer:Diane Keaton inSomethings Gotta Givedresses almost freakishly like my mom.
She doesnt want anyone to watch her movies and think,Oh, this movie was made in blank.
So everyone dresses like Nancy.
Theres a rotating collection of very sumptuous, wealthy fabrics.
Draping an oatmeal and a cream and a white crisp white.
Button-down, cashmere, oatmeal, draping.
Anyone else would have wilted.
Simon Kunz (Martin inThe Parent Trap):She always looked well turned out.
She never slouched it.
Martin: Shes always looking … Well, she looks like shes in a Nancy Meyers movie.
And she wants you to look the best possible.
So I came in, and she said, Dont you think you look a little pale?
And I said, No, I dont.
And she kind of struggled and said, Okay.
And then when I saw the movie, I thought I looked a little pale.
Diaz:She walks to the beat of her own drum.
I think shes picked her lane, and she stays in it.
Thats what I really love about her.
Shes not trying to reinvent anything.
Shes like, I created this wheel; I created this.
I made this path.
This is my lane.
Im in it, I own it, and thats just what I do.
And everybody can get onboard or not.
But this is the train going this way.
Its already left the station, and its on its way to its destination.
Zimmer:Comedies are really hard, especially at the Nancy Meyers level.
Somebody once said, Dying is easy.
The souffle has to rise and it has to be light.
Keaton:Let me tell you something about Nancy.
When a scene is going well, and she sees something and something makes her laugh, shell laugh.
Its really sweet, you know?
She loves her work.
She loves physical comedy, but only when performed by a masterful physical comedian.
Culkin:Directors tend to be very stressed out.
And there can be a lot of tension on set.
[Nancy and Charles], I remember them having a lot of fun.
And I had wrapped [shooting], but I wanted to stick around and watch this.
The whole point of it, it seemed, was just to have fun and make each other laugh.
And meanwhile, well film it.
They had all these different methods.
Im not even fucking kidding.
They hollowed out a car seat and put it over him.
He could barely see where he was going.
And then I sat on his lap and put my hand on the steering wheel.
And I remember [Nancy and Charles] laughing their asses off.
They just dont know theyre comedic or that theyre characters.
In other words, if Francks trying to be funny, then it will not be funny.
So I remember the first thing that we tried, we started off larger than life.
And Nancy said, What on earth are you doing?
I took that to mean Nancy did not smoke very much pot, if any.
And some people questioned whether that might hurt our rating if we were so dedicated in our pot-smoking.
But I recall that Nancy really laughed when we did that.
Look, I dont mind that; it was fun, kind of.
But Nancy kept saying, Deeper, deeper!
Im like, Im going to fucking kill this guy!
And my hands are strong!
And she goes, No, I want to feel like youre really into it!
I was like, Jesus Christ, and De Niros like, Go deeper.
Hendrix:She takes her time.
We didnt have to rush through things.
We got to rehearse.
Martin:The writing is the source of everything.
When we were doingFather of the Bride 3ish, I couldnt believe how well-structured the script was.
Especially because its essentially a Zoom movie.
And I think thats what she likes about my performance with her.
She just values it more than anything.
But I was so nervous.
So I rehearsed with the script supervisor, and I said, Hey, I just have a question.
Whats the feeling on set here?
If I improvise something, are we good with that?
And she said, No, you shouldnt be improvising at all.
you should probably say them all as written.
And I was like, Oh, okay.
Well, if Meryl improvises something to me, am I allowed to then improvise back?
And she was like, Meryl was improvising?
I will go and tell her her lines.
I was like, No, no, no.
Im not telling on Meryl!
I found out very quickly: That is not how Nancy rolls when its time to shoot.
Nancy likes a firm respect and love of the words that she has penned, andI understand.
She has more of a playwright mentality when it comes to her screenplays.
She likes everything word-perfect.
Shyer:In my opinion, Nancy has the best lines.
Shes up there with Neil Simon.
Its on the level of Nora Ephron.
Holm:Everyone jokes about how the set design is immaculate in a Nancy Meyers movie.
Its become its own thing.
Shes like the new Chuck Norris: He doesnt use firewood.
He uses his beard shavings.
I feel Nancy has her own mythology now.
I want to live in a Nancy Meyers movie.
Lisa Ann Walter (Chessie inThe Parent Trap):The kitchens, obviously, everybody talks about them.
Its the heart of these movies.
Not just because theyre pretty, because they feel like someplace in your house.
Everybody hangs out in the kitchen, right?
Martin:Certain things, like kitchens she pays special attention to that.
Thats exactly the right set.
It kind of lies between realism and what you want a movie to be.
The world in which Nancys stories unfold has a warmth and a reality that people connect with.
Yes, in a slightly aspirational way, but ultimately, familiar and relatable.
We often get accused of being the fancy house guys.
Russo:The kitchens are cozy.
I would just say the whole damn thing is cozy.
When you walked onto one of her sets, you would see her messing around.
I thought,Wow!
Thats crazy; she is involved in everything!
Short:I do remember being stunned inFather of the Bride Part IIat the beauty of the nursery.
Nancy is very specific with aesthetics, whether its the set or the costumes or wardrobe.
She writes with not just the words, but with everything around it that has to make sense.
The music is part of that.
Just give me a minute; something is off.
Then she returned to the video monitors and said, Okay, now we can go again.
The flowers were perfect for the next take.
And I have to say, it made a huge difference.
Its just a different level.
Were like, What?
Meyers-Shyer:Her home is one of her interests.
She reads things and finds things.
Were sending each other DMs of amazing houses in England.
I think design and film go hand in hand.
I distinctly remember a dinner-party scene that we shot for three or four days.
But in this case I was a little heartbroken to walk away from that table.
It wasnt like, Lets get some croissants and put them on a tray.
Just get them from Trader Joes.
She had a chef making fresh pastries and croissants not to eat, but for the camera.
Food on a movie set is not like food.
Best food Ive ever had on any film ever.
They had this thing, which Id never heard of, which was surf and turf.
They said, No, have both.
I said, What?
Walter:End-of-the-week dinners were always kind of a big deal.
Its that lovely Jewish mother in her that needs to feed.
And Im like, Oh, let me look … Oh, lobster.
Were having lobster and filet mignon.
And he was floored.
He was like, Are you kidding?
Back home, they throw you a bag of chips and Good luck.
And Im like, Well, not on a Nancy movie.
Hendrix:They had everything: They had a seafood bar.
They had a meat bar.
They had a salad bar.
They had a dessert bar.
Culkin:I remember for some reason, there was always mahimahi on the [sets food] truck.
I dont know why, and I feel like that became a running joke: Its always mahimahi.
Shyer:We just tried to make it not boring.
And they had this giant tray of … not fresh mozzarella, but the more whipped-style cheese.
But it wasnt even on bread.
Who does that?But then people would make weird noises of happiness after they would take their bite.
So Im like, I gotta try this.
Hathaway:Well, it was a guy Bob brought in.
So I dont know if Nancy gets credit.
DeVine:De Niro brought ina cheese guy.
De Niro:We were somewhere up in the Bronx or near it or something.
And there was a place in the Bronx that I got all that stuff from.
Those who remember it just glow with a love for it.
If you think about it, the storys kind of almost like a Greek tragedy.
Your parents splitting up and taking a twin each and not telling them.
I mean, think about it that way its like,Jesus.
But you kind of suspend your disbelief because of the kind of panache and chutzpah of the whole thing.
The person looked at me like I was a lunatic.
Diaz:People loveThe Holiday.
I cant even tell you.
Its the first thing I put on at the beginning of December.
I watch it every single day.
Culkin:Sometimes Im asked if I ever get nostalgic for [Father of the Bride].
Im like, Yeah, because it actually was a part of my childhood.
People feel like it was part of their childhood, but it wasa huge chunk of mine.
Martin:Father of the Bridekind of changed my life.
And people really respond for some reason.
Its a middle-of-the-road comedy in terms of not being too extreme, being emotional.
But itgenuinely affects people, it seems to me.
FitzGerald:Especially this year, I think Nancys movies have been the soothing balm we all need.
I feel so, so lucky to be a part ofthe Nancy Meyers club.
I was just like,Man, I want to be Nancy Meyers when I grow up.
Walter:I had never had a female director before.
Not to say that she wasnt a leader, because she was.
Mothers have to be leaders.
But she took an interest in you as a human.
Whats your dating situation?
And she said, Heres what I want you to do.
Go get a bottle of Champagne and pop it, because that guy was a loser.
I love her style.
I love that she tells grown-up stories.
People are cynical, and people are ironic, and people are good at doing all those things.
I think Nancy would be really lousy at doingThe Dark Knightor something.
Witherspoon:She continues to be an incredible resource to me.
Im always asking her questions about scripts, books, and adaptations, and she always obliges.
I always turn to her first because no one understands what makes a character magical more than Nancy Meyers.
